Career changes at any time in your life are stressful and can sometimes feel time consuming. You tend to ask yourself questions such as, “Am I making the right decision?,” “Am I too old to make this transition?,” and “Is this the right time to make this alteration?” These are questions that often come across our minds when trying to make these curial lifetime decisions. The most imperative question we should all ask ourselves when making these big career changes are will what we change be most satisfying professionally to our ultimate career path and what’s the first step to make?

Generally, we all want to do what’s most important to us when it comes to a lifetime career, and, for me, I realized that skin care and aesthetics is the field that brings joy and happiness, to my life, so I know that it is most certainly the field that I will thrive in. Let’s face it, we all evolve and make changes during life and, with that, our aspirations also become different. Understanding those transitions can help make career changes more suitable.

The most conflictual thoughts come around when we enter something so different from what we’ve previously been doing, but that’s where the magic happens. That imbalance is a strange feeling that oddly enough gets subsided as you begin your path on the journey most rewarding to you. My initial start in school was so confusing and scary because I did not know what to expect. Fears and doubt often override one’s ideas and visions while trying to settle into this world as a skin care professional. Fear is the most difficult obstacle faced in the beginning, because when you start something new, it’s the unknown and it is not recognizable to us. But we don’t realize at the time that is the beauty of a fresh start.

For someone that has no experience, it can be the hardest thing to adapt too and learn a totally new career, especially in aesthetics where there is so much information to take in. But, when you love skin care and learn the many different avenues it can take you, the vitality of what we think is a loss becomes a major gain.

Drastic changes requires slow and thoughtful evaluating, so in the process, make sure that you stay focused on the most important indicators that stand out to you when you get started in the industry. What entices you the most within the field of aesthetics? What are some of the long-term goals you’ve thought of over the span of entering into school? Those are some questions that help face obstacles that appear while making this change. In the beginning, this is very new and has its ups and downs. One thing that helped me move forward was finding a niche and being able to indulge and understand as much as I could in that particular area. It has been proven many times that understanding what’s more interesting to you can gravitate much focus and insight. Having that passion is a key contributor to why I’ve been so determined and focused. It is not easy to jump into a new industry, but the many directions that the industry has to offer are exciting, whether it be becoming an educator, mastering expertise in makeup, research and discovery, or creating and developing. The versatility is endless and the market has such an international impact that it can be easy to fall and fit right into.

When you are transitioning from a field that’s near the industry, having relatable knowledge can definitely give you a step forward into aesthetics. For me, I realized that leaving the healthcare field and entering into a dynamic of beauty wasn’t to far of, as our health contributes to our changing patterns in skin and over all appearance. So, with that being said, if you are in a career that’s not far off of aesthetics, you should try to figure out what connects the two, which can be valuable in merging into your future goals.

 So, when making these decisions, always remember that with transition comes a force of rebranding yourself and your long-term goals. It is the drive and commitment that enables that success that new aesthetics professionals indulge in, so always stay focused and open to learning and developing a love for your entry into a journey that is broad and powerful.

Kayla Thomas is a newly licensed aesthetician who started her career after graduating from the Lia Schoor institute in 2019. Her innovative aspirations for the beauty industry started years ago while trying to figure out how basic skin care needs work and trying to find the most effective ways to analyze different skin types. Her love for skin care grew deeper when breaking into the industry and discovering the many different fields essential to her and her expertise. She has been in the healthcare industry for over 10 years, with a business and legal study background. Thomas’ desire to prevail in this industry comes from constant education and information retainment.